Tiers and valances, the kitchen window uniform

There is a reason half the kitchens in America wear the same outfit: a short curtain below, a header above, and the sill left free to work.

Why the window splits in half

A tier covers the lower sash, which is the half the neighbors can see into, and leaves the upper glass open for daylight. The valance dresses the top of the frame and hides the rod. Together they give privacy at counter height and sun above it, which is exactly the trade a kitchen wants.

Sizing the pair

Tiers are sold by the pair and sized to the lower sash, most commonly 24 or 36 inches long. Measure from where the rod will sit to the sill. The valance rod goes above the frame, and the valance itself usually runs 12 to 14 inches deep, enough to crown the window without shading it.

Fabric that forgives the stove

Kitchen windows collect steam, splatter and the occasional flour cloud. Machine washable polyester weaves shrug all of it off and go back up the same afternoon. Save the dry-clean fabrics for rooms where nothing simmers.

Waterfall or straight, and why the depth jumps

A straight valance is a flat printed header 13 to 17 inches deep, which is the depth the sizing above assumes. A soft waterfall is a different animal: it hangs about 40 inches and falls in loose vertical folds down both sides of the frame, so it reads as a short curtain that never closes. Both go on the same plain rod, so trying the softer shape costs an afternoon and no new hardware.